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NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle

CHICAGO - Pre-Race

U.S. ARMY’S TOP FUEL DRAGSTER, PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLES TO CARRY SPECIAL PAINT SCHEME AT ROUTE 66 RACEWAY IN CELEBRATION OF U.S. ARMY’S 230TH BIRTHDAY

(6-7-2005) - To help celebrate its upcoming 230th birthday, the U.S. Army will roll out a special paint scheme here this weekend on Tony Schumacher’s Top Fuel dragster and the Pro Stock Motorcycles of Angelle Sampey and Antron Brown for the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway.

The special paint scheme resembles the U.S. Army’s new Army Combat Uniform, featuring a new digital camouflage pattern with a mix of green, tan and gray that camouflage experts say will help soldiers blend into the woodland, desert and urban environments more effectively.

Additionally, the paint scheme will spotlight the theme “Call to Duty: 230 Years.” The U.S. Army’s official theme for its 230th birthday (which falls on June 14th) is “Call to Duty: 230 Years of Service to Our Nation.”

“I’m happy that we’re able to take part in such an important celebration,” said Schumacher. “I’m hopeful that we pause to honor America’s soldiers -- past, present and future -- and their families on June 14th which is not only the U.S. Army’s 230th birthday, but also the 228th birthday of the American flag.”

“It’s obvious to all what the U.S. Army partnership means to me, so I’m extremely proud to carry this special paint scheme on my motorcycle this weekend,” added Sampey. “Let’s also not forget that the U.S. Army’s birthday and Flag Day comes in the heart of Patriot Season (which is the six-week span beginning with Armed Forces Day the middle of May and culminating on July 4th with Independence Day).”

“This is truly a great thing that we’re doing in Joliet,” offered Brown. “It’s a clear way to honor our soldiers who have and continue to protect our liberties and nation.”

Columbus - Sunday

Chip Ellis & G2/S&S Buell advance to semifinals

Chip Ellis raced his G Squared-built, S&S Cycle-powered Buell to a semifinal finish at the 41st annual NHRA Pontiac Performance Nationals presented by Summit Racing.

En route to facing the Muzzy-built, S&S-powered Buell driven by Ryan Schnitz in the semifinals, Ellis defeated Craig Treble, aboard a Suzuki, in the opening round of eliminations and Chris Rivas, runner-up at the last race in Atlanta, on the Mohegan Sun-backed, G Squared-built, S&S-powered Buell, in the second round.

Against Schnitz, Ellis got a sizable advantage at the green light but was unable to hold off the hard-charging Schnitz. Schnitz crossed the finish line stripe first in 7.106 seconds, followed by Ellis at 7.187 seconds.

In the opening round, Ellis recorded a speed of 189.63 mph, a personal career best and the fastest that his G Squared Buell has run since it debuted at the Columbus event in June of 2004.

Ellis had a goal at this event to put additional emphasis on his driving. He did just that. His reaction times on race day were .017-second in the opening round, a .009 light in round two and a .004 in the semifinals. He handled the bike well and made good shifts.

“Even I was surprised at my lights,” said Ellis, from Americus, Ga. “It shows what practice and concentration will do for you.”

George Bryce, who along with partner George Smith own G Squared Motorsports, likes what he saw today.

“Going to the later rounds is what I envisioned and felt that we could do as we started the year,” said Bryce. “But we got off to a slow start. I think now we are back on track.

“From the first round to the semifinals, our elapsed times dropped each round. We are unsure, at this time, if that was the result of the tune up or an internal engine problem. These S&S-build engines are very reliable but this one does have quite a large number of races on it. We’ll go back to our shop in Americus (Georgia) and review all data and inspect the engine. We’ll be back and ready to go at Chicago.”

SAMPEY EXITS IN SECOND ROUND, BROWN IN FIRST ROUND

In Pro Stock Motorcycles, U.S. Army drivers Angelle Sampey and
Antron Brown lost in the second round and first round, respectively.

Sampey, with a 7.141-second pass at 185.10 mph, got the better of
Brown in their first round race, before bowing out in the second round to
pole sitter G.T. Tonglet.

"It was a tough day, overall," said Sampey. "First, I had to take on
my teammate and then the top qualifier. That's not easy to deal with.
Unfortunately, we couldn't get beyond the second round. We have to begin
turning this program around sooner than later."

Brown had clutch issues in his confrontation with Sampey which
allowed his teammate to lead from start to finish.

"My U.S. Army Suzuki just drove through the clutch for some reason,"
said the Indianapolis resident. "You're not going to win a lot of races with
that kind of an issue. We'll get it straightened out for the next event."

Columbus - Saturday

BROWN EIGHTH, SAMPEY NINTH IN PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLES

U.S. Army Pro Stock Motorcycle pilots, Antron Brown and Angelle
Sampey, qualified eighth and ninth, respectively, and will face each other
in the opening round of eliminations.

It was the proverbial good news, bad news scenario for Brown and
Sampey on Saturday.

While Sampey managed to move from 14th in the line up to ninth with
a 7.151-second pass at 182.03 mph, Brown dropped from sixth to eighth
forcing an all-U.S. Army team first round race.

"That certainly was not my preferred first round match up," said
Sampey. "Obviously, I never want to face Antron until the finals at the
earliest, but it is what it is and we both have to deal with it."

"We'll both go out there and compete and see what happens," added
Brown. "I guess if one was to look for a silver lining is that we'll be
guaranteed advancement into the second round."

Sampey and Brown met six times in eliminations last year with the
last meeting going to Sampey in the finals of the 2004 season finale at
Pomona, Calif.

ELLIS ABOARD THE G2/S&S BUELL NAILS NO. 6 QUALIFYING SPOT AT COLUMBUS

With qualifying complete for this year’s NHRA Pontiac Performance Nationals presented by Summit Racing, Chip Ellis, driver of the G Squared/S&S Cycle Buell, jumped to the No. 6 qualifying spot in the fourth and final qualifying session with a run of 7.120 seconds at 187.50 mph down the National Trail Raceway quarter-mile.

“After the 22 (7.22 seconds) in the first session today, I felt we still had a tenth (of a second) left in our G Squared/S&S-powered Buell,” said George Bryce, who along with partner George Smith formed G Squared Motorsports in 2003. “Our data said we could pick up a tenth. Even with a track that was hot and greasy, I told the crew that we could really, really pick up a tenth. Chip drove it well, we got the tune up right and grabbed the track and got our tenth. Now, we’re ready for tomorrow.”

Ellis added his view of qualifying. “My whole goal this weekend was to get back to the basics,” he said. “I made four good passes, cut four good lights and I feel we are really ready for tomorrow.”

In the opening round of eliminations, Ellis will be paired against Craig Treble. Treble qualified No. 11 with a best qualifying pass of 7.158 seconds at 184.77 mph.

BUELL RESULTS: Ryan Schnitz, aboard the Muzzy-built, S&S-powered Buell, moved into the No. 2 position by virtue of a qualifying best elapsed time of 7.101 seconds. The Mohegan Sun-backed, G Squared-built, S&S-powered Buell of Chris Rivas, who was runner-up at last weekend’s Atlanta event, finished No. 3. And for the second event in a row, Matt Guidera, aboard the Rocklin HD G Squared-built, S&S Cycle-powered Buell, recorded a career best E. T. when he stopped the finish line clocks at 7.279 seconds.

Columbus - Friday

ELLIS ABOARD G2/S&S BUELL NO. 8 AFTER DAY 1 OF QUALIFYING

With two of four qualifying sessions completed, Chip Ellis, aboard the G Squared/S&S Cycle Buell, was No. 8 on the qualifying ladder for the 41st annual NHRA Pontiac Performance Nationals presented by Summit Racing.

Ellis recorded a pass of 7.199 seconds in the opening session this afternoon; then improved in the second session when he cruised the National Trail Raceway quarter-mile in 7.145 seconds at 183.69 mph.

“We improved a bunch in that second run,” said George Bryce, who along with partner George Smith is the brain trust behind G Squared Motorsports. “We went the right way and plan to show some more of the same improvement tomorrow.”

Ellis indicated that he feels his riding was back on track today. “We had a couple of good lights and I feel I handled the bike well. That gives me additional confidence going into tomorrow,” he said.

The G Squared-built, S&S-powered Buell of Chris Rivas continued to make people take notice of their performance. The Mohegan Sun-backed Pro Stock Motorcycle of Rivas finished in the second slot with a run of 7.107 seconds at 181.54 mph.

Not far behind was Ryan Schnitz aboard the Muzzy-built, S&S-powered Buell. Schnitz recorded an elapsed time of 7.141 seconds, good for the No. 7 spot.

And for the second event in a row, Matt Guidera, aboard the Rocklin HD G Squared-built, S&S Cycle-powered Buell, recorded a career best E. T. when he stopped the finish line clocks at 7.279 seconds.

“G Squared Motorsports is in the business to produce and sell high performance street and competition motorcycles. Therefore, we want our bikes to do well in competition. It looks like Rivas, Schnitz and Guidera have what it takes to be successful on the NHRA POWERade series and both G Squared and S&S Cycle are proud to be part of that success,” added Bryce.

BROWN SIXTH, SAMPEY 14TH AFTER FIRST DAY

In Pro Stock Motorcycles, U.S. Army drivers Antron Brown and Angelle Sampey swiped the sixth and 14th positions, respectively.

Brown banked a 7.140-second pass at 184.83 mph to settle into the top half of the field entering the final two qualifying sessions on
Saturday.

"We had a couple of decent runs today," said the Indianapolis
resident. "The track was a little tricky with the conditions changing.
We'll just come back tomorrow and try to improve before race day."

Sampey, the three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion,
struggled a bit in both of her qualifying trips. Her best numbers were
7.195-seconds at 179.71 mph.

"My U.S. Army Suzuki is still not getting down the track properly
for some reason," she said. "But, I know my guys will keep working hard to
get it right. We'll be prepared to come back strong on Saturday."

Columbus - Preview

SAMPEY, BROWN SEEK TRIP TO WINNER'S CIRCLE

Angelle Sampey and Antron Brown will have one simple goal in
mind here this weekend in the Pontiac Performance Nationals at National
Trail Raceway - to get to victory lane.

U.S. Army Pro Stock Motorcycle pilots, Sampey and Brown, have not advanced beyond the semifinals
in three Pro Stock Motorcycle events to date.

Both Sampey and Brown, who were second round losers at Atlanta Dragway last Sunday, want a win in the worst way after capturing a total of six victories in 2004.

"We need to overcome this slow start," said Sampey, the three-time
Pro Stock Motorcycle world champ. "We just can't seem to get a head of
steam. I'm confident that will happen this weekend."

"Despite the results last weekend, we did show signs of life, so we
need to build on that in Columbus," offered Brown. "We've been having some
mechanical issues that will be rectified quickly. We'll bust out, trust me."

Sampey and Brown seem to have a nice bond with
National Trail Raceway. Brown posted a win there in 1999, while Sampey was victorious in 2000 and 2001.

REBOUND IS ORDER OF WEEKEND FOR G SQUARED & ELLIS AT COLUMBUS

Not performing to their standards, G Squared Motorsports owners, George Bryce and George Smith, along with Chip Ellis, their driver on the G Squared/S&S Cycle Buell, look to rebound at this weekend’s 41st annual NHRA Pontiac Performance Nationals presented by Summit Racing.

From Indy to the end of last season, Ellis and his G Squared-built, S&S Cycle-powered Buell was arguably the hottest Pro Stock Motorcycle on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. This season the team has shown they are mortal, providing only snapshots of their performance of 2004.

“I thought we were ready, but last weekend (at Atlanta) proved that the G Squared team needs to continue to work on consistency. We went back to Americus (Georgia), reviewed all the data and now have a plan ready for Columbus,” said Smith.

Ellis, who is currently No. 9 in the POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle point standings, plans to put additional emphasis on his riding this weekend while at National Trail Raceway.

"After struggling with my riding for three races, I think I need to get back to the basics of riding the bike,” indicated Ellis. “Being more consistent is the key and we haven't been very consistent. My team has been very supportive of me and we are going to work though this and get back into championship form."

G Squared Motorsports, who builds high performance motorcycles for both competitive competition and the street, is happy with the performance of the bikes they have sold for competition this race season.

“I would like to congratulate the Mohegan Sun team and Chris Rivas for the outstanding job they're doing with their new bike. Their preparation and Chris' riding have exceeded all of our expectations and we couldn't be more pleased,” commented Smith, after Rivas, at last weekend’s event in Atlanta, advanced to final round in only his third NHRA race aboard the Mohegan Sun G Squared-built, S&S Cycle-powered Buell.

“Additionally, Muzzy has been doing a great job with his S&S-powered Buell and Ryan Schnitz's riding has been top notch and although the 'gremlins' have gotten them, that team has great potential. Matt Guidera, aboard the Rocklin HD G Squared-built, S&S Cycle-powered Buell, got down the track and Matt set a personal low E.T., so they're making good headway. To sum it up, our customers are doing a great job with the S&S powerplant."

Cohen hoping to return to the saddle in Ohio

CMKXtreme Pro Stock Motorcycle competitor, Connie Cohen, will attempt to return to racing this weekend follow a top end spill in Atlanta, one week ago.

Cohen was only slightly hurt but it will be a major challenge for her husband and crew chief, Marc Cohen, to prepare a new ride for his wife in time to compete at this weekend’s Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals.

Cohen’s incident took place following her second qualifying attempt Friday afternoon. Just after crossing the finish line, the brakes locked up on her CMKX Suzuki twice and she kept the bike upright both times before finally exiting the seat at well over 100-mph. Despite being able to walk away from the incident, she was taken to a local hospital where she received treatment for a broken toe, returning to the track later that evening.

Cohen will need clearance from the NHRA before being able to compete at the race in Columbus, but her bigger concern is having a motorcycle ready in time to race.

“I really want to extend a huge thank you to Vason Leathers for saving me from a serious case of road rash in Atlanta,” said a grateful Cohen. “I also want to thank HJC Helmets for once again providing me with a product that definitely helped save me from much more serious injuries.

“I’m very grateful for the tons of get well wishes I’ve received from all of my fans and CMKX shareholders,” continued Cohen. “I want to thank Urban and Carolyn Casavant and CMKX team manager Ron Casavant for their continued support. They’ve been tremendous. Hopefully we’ll be ready for Columbus, but if not you’ll definitely see the CMKXtreme Suzuki in Chicago.”
Cohen will be appearing at the Dave Gill-Pontiac GMC Dealership Fanfest on Wednesday, May 18, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and will also be joining CMKX teammate Jeff Arend and members of the GM Race team as they visit Columbus Children’s Hospital on Thursday, May 19.

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Commerce - Sunday

SAMPEY, BROWN SECOND ROUND LOSERS

U.S. Army Pro Stock Motorcycle drivers, Angelle Sampey and Antron
Brown, both bowed out in the second round of eliminations.

Brown, who had qualified third, beat Matt Smith in the opening
round, before dropping a second round race to Geno Scali.

Against Scali, the New Jersey native seemingly lost power on his U.S. Army Suzuki at the top end of the track allowing his opponent to drive by him at the finish line.

"It was pretty strange," said Brown. "I was ahead of him at almost every interval except, of course, at the one that counts the most. It's disappointing. I thought we had a good motorcycle today - one that could have won the race."

Sampey, who was bidding for her fifth victory at Atlanta Dragway, took care of Shawn Gann in the first round, but could not survive a match up with G.T. Tonglet in round two.

"For some reason, we're still struggling a bit with my U.S. Army
Suzuki," she said afterwards. "We're definitely working real hard to get it
more competitive. We need to be running a lot better sooner than later."

Sampey and Brown will join Schumacher at National Trail Raceway, May
19-22, for the Pontiac Performance Nationals.

Ellis and G2/S&S Buell to quarterfinals

After a rain delay of four hours and five minutes, eliminations for the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac got underway on Sunday at Atlanta Dragway.

In the opening round, Chip Ellis, aboard the G Squared/S&S Buell, turned back the POWERade point leader entering this event, Steve Johnson. Ellis covered the quarter-mile in 7.149 seconds.

After the opening round, the rains returned and racing was delayed for an additional 2 hours and 10 minutes. Racing resumed at about 7 o’clock under sunny skies.

The quarterfinals found the G Squared/S&S-powered Buell of Ellis matched against the G Squared-built, S&S-powered Buell of Chris Rivas.

From start to finish it was all Rivas on the Mohegan Sun Buell. Rivas recorded a run of 7.184 seconds at 180.67 mph to 7.366 seconds at 174.30 mph for Ellis.

“I thought we were ready, but this weekend proved that the G Squared team isn’t ready yet to perform with the consistency to win,” said George Smith, who along with George Bryce own G Squared Motorsports. “We’ll go back to Americus (Georgia) and review all the data from this weekend and have a plan ready for Columbus.”

The Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals was the first of five races in seven weeks for the Pro Stock Motorcycles. Next up is the Pontiac Performance Nationals at National Trail Raceway near Columbus, Ohio, next weekend (May 19-22). After two weeks off, the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series then begins back-to-back-to-back races in Joliet, Ill. (June 9-12), Englishtown, N.J. (June 16-19) and St. Louis (June 24-26).

Commerce - Saturday

Ellis aboard the G2/S&S Buell No. 5 at Atlanta

Chip Ellis, aboard the G Squared/S&S Buell, finished No. 5 as qualifying ended for the Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac.

Ellis’ best of four qualifying runs down the Atlanta Dragway quarter-mile was 7.159 seconds at 184.65 mph. In tomorrow’s eliminations, the Americus, Ga., driver will face POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle point leader Steve Johnson in the opening round as Ellis goes for his first win of 2005.

“Our times during qualifying were a good start for how conditions are going to be tomorrow. We feel ready for tomorrow. We tested before we got here and based on our testing and the conditions here Big George (Smith), Little George (Bryce) and Ken Johnson have given me a good bike to compete with during eliminations. I need to ride good and turn the win light on four times, one round at a time,” said Ellis.

His G Squared team owners, George Bryce and George Smith, know something about winning.

As an owner and rider, George Bryce has accumulated 67 national event wins -- 33 with the late, great, three-time series champion John Myers, 28 with three-time series champion Angelle Sampey, one each with Fred Collis and Chip Ellis, two for himself as a rider and two as a crew chief for Reggie Showers.

“It takes preparation to be a winner,” said Bryce. “You can just come to the race track and hope to do well. All our wins come from being more prepared than the other teams. You’ve got to have the right people. You’ve got to have the right equipment. You’ve got to have luck. Our definition of luck is when opportunity and preparation come together.”

George and Jackie Bryce’s seven year-old daughter, Julie, already know that Chip Ellis is a winner. She says, “I’ve been coming to the track with my mommy and my daddy since I was six-weeks-old. I think Chip (Ellis) is a great guy and a great racer. To me he is a winner every day.”

George Smith served as S&S Cycle president and vice president of research and development and engineering until 1993. In 1995, Smith formed Hubba-Hubba Racing which has since evolved into a consulting firm in which Smith has coordinated the S&S Street Pro and Pro Stock projects.

Smith has accomplished much during his storied career. Notable among his drag racing accomplishments was putting together the Harley bike and team that broke the 200 mph barrier in 1995. During the same period, Smith also devoted time to running the Bonneville Salt Flats.

“To be a winner takes a total commitment to excel,” said George Smith as he reflected on what it takes to be a winner. “You must practice and prepare and then execute. On this team, Chip Ellis is a winner. So are the guys like Ken Johnson and guys from S&S Cycle that ready the G Squared/S&S Buell. This team has a commitment to win and we have made significant inroads toward our goals to be the best in the sport.”

This event is the first of five in seven weeks. Upon the conclusion of the Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals, the Pro Stock Motorcycles move to Columbus, Ohio, next weekend. After two weeks off, the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series then begins back-to-back-to-back races in Joliet, Ill. (June 9-12), Englishtown, N.J. (June 16-19) and St. Louis (June 24-26).

BROWN THIRD, SAMPEY SEVENTH

U.S. Army Pro Stock Motorcycle drivers, Antron Brown and Angelle
Sampey, will start third and seventh, respectively, on Sunday.
For the third straight race, Brown was among the top five in the Pro
Stock Motorcycle line up based off of Friday's 7.150-second pass at 187.70
mph.

"Now, we have to go out and race well," said the Indianapolis
resident. "Plain and simply, we have to perform on Sunday."

Brown will take on 14th-place qualifier, Matt Smith, in the opening
round of eliminations.

Sampey, with a 7.166-second run at 179.64 mph on Saturday, moved
from 11th in the order to seventh and as a result will face 10th-place
qualifier, Shawn Gann, in the first round.

"We needed to get into the upper half of the field," said the defending Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals champ. "Now, we start fresh on Sunday. This U.S. Army Suzuki team has to go deep into race day. Anything less is unacceptable."

Sampey will be bidding for her fifth victory at Atlanta Dragway.

Commerce - Friday

After two of four qualifying sessions, Ellis No. 4

At the end of qualifying on day one, Chip Ellis, from Americus, Ga., is in the No. 4 qualifying position at the silver anniversary edition of the Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac.

Ellis, aboard the G Squared/S&S Buell, covered the Atlanta Dragway quarter-mile in 7.159 seconds. He actually tied two other riders in elapsed time (E.T.) but the Pro Stock Motorcycles rules place riders that run the same E.T. by their speed. Thus Antron Brown who ran a speed of 189.95 mph was placed No. 2, Chris Rivas (184.83 mph) was No. 3 and Ellis (184.65 mph) fourth.
“In the first session today the track was hot and slick and we spun the tire much more than we anticipated,” said Ellis. “We’re even happier with that last run. We improved but just didn’t quite pull enough speed on the top end.

“The guys (George Smith, George Bryce and Ken Johnson) did a good job of taking the computer data from the first run and adjusting to give us the needed improvement. I did an okay job of riding today. I’m excited and looking forward to the final two runs tomorrow.

“The air will definitely be better in the morning and should be the coolest qualifying session of the four. I’ve got the best guys in the business working on this G Squared/S&S Buell. All I’ve got to do is shoot it down through there and make it go straight.”

Of note is that there are currently three G Squared-built, S&S-powered Buells in the top five positions. In addition to Ellis in fourth, Chris Rivas is No. 3 and Ryan Schnitz is No. 5. Andrew Hines leads all qualifiers with a pass of 7.094 seconds at 189.87 mph.

BROWN SECOND, SAMPEY ELEVENTH

In Pro Stock Motorcycles, U.S. Army Suzuki drivers Antron Brown and Angelle Sampey took the second and 11th spots, respectively, after two qualifying sessions were in the books.

Brown posted a 7.159-second pass at 189.95 mph to slide in behind provisional pole sitter Andrew Hines.

"A nice, solid run," said Brown afterwards. "We stepped it up from the first pass of the day which was critical. I'm feeling pretty good right now going into Saturday."

Sampey, who is the defending event champion, laid down a
7.251-second trip at 182.67 mph to grab a spot in the order with two
qualifying sessions remaining.

"I was hoping for better numbers today, but we did get in the show
and we have something to work with for tomorrow," said the three-time Pro
Stock Motorcycle world champion. "We'll try to move up for race day."

Sampey is a four-time winner at Atlanta Dragway.

Commerce - Pre-Race

Pro Stock Motorcycles return to action; Focus is now on Atlanta for G Squared

After a layoff of one month, competition resumes for the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycles as rider Chip Ellis and G Squared owners George Smith and George Bryce make ready the G Squared/S&S Buell for the silver anniversary edition of the Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Ga.

After ending last season on a strong note, the G Squared team has been plagued by frustrating problems in the first two races that have not allowed the G Squared/S&S Buell to show its full potential.

“Whatever advantage the G Squared team and Chip Ellis had at the end of last season has been evened out by improvements in the other teams. It's obvious from the first two races that the Pro Stock Motorcycle class is very competitive and a consistent solid performance by any of the qualifiers could win the race,” said Smith.

Smith is pleased with the performance of the teams that are now campaigning G Squared-built, S&S-powered Buells. He indicated that “the good news is that Muzzy, Mohegan Sun and Guidera's teams are on track…”

The veteran Bryce is certainly familiar with Atlanta Dragway and wants to do a good job at what he calls “his home track.”

"Typically we do really well at Atlanta Dragway and we are looking forward to proving it,” said Bryce. “Chip has been going to the gym and working out to be as physically ready as possible. He has been making mental runs and he is the most prepared he's been since I have known him."

Ellis, who pilots the G Squared/S&S Buell, is the rider who must out duel his competition.

Said Ellis, “I think my main competition this weekend is everybody who qualifies. The field is tight, all of the bikes are running good, and I'm not going to take anyone lightly. I'm feeling confident, the bike is running well, and I'm going to do my best to get it down the track."

Entering the Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals, the third of 15 Pro Stock Motorcycle races, Ellis is tied for ninth in the NHRA POWERade point standing, just 27 points out of the top five and 97 points behind the point leader.

“The run for the championship will be a fight right to the finish. Although there are many talented drivers out here in Pro Stock Motorcycle, with 13 races remaining on the 2005 schedule, we still have time to cut the point deficit and work our way to the top. To start upward, we need a good outing this weekend,” said Ellis, as he reflected on the point standings.

SAMPEY, BROWN LOOK TO BREAK THROUGH

After capturing a total of six wins in 2004, neither Sampey nor
Brown have advanced beyond the semifinals after two races on the 2005 Pro
Stock Motorcycle schedule.

"We've certainly qualified well, but have not raced very well," said
Sampey, a four-time winner at Atlanta Dragway and the defending Summit
Racing Equipment Southern Nationals event champ. "That's got to change
quickly."

"I totally agree," said Brown, also a winner at Atlanta Dragway in
2001. "We're a lot better team than what we've shown to date this year."

Sampey and Brown head for the Peachtree State seventh and sixth,
respectively, in the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings.

"That's obviously not where we want to be," said Sampey. "We're
determined that we're going to contend for the NHRA POWERade world
championship, so we need to start making up some ground starting this
weekend."

"You don't want to put yourself in a hole early on," offered Brown.
"It's time we break through down there in Georgia."

Cohen eager to turn up the heat on the CMKXtreme Suzuki in ‘Hotlanta’

CMKXtreme Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Connie Cohen will make her third start of the year at the 25th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway, May 12-15. The Connecticut resident is hoping the third race of the season will be the charm as Cohen continues to improve her performance at every race.

Cohen enters the Southern Nationals after the CMKXtreme Machine Suzuki just missed qualifying in Gainesville and Houston. With her husband and crew chief, Marc Cohen, continuing to work diligently on the improving team’s performance, Cohen is running quicker and with more consistency at each event. Cohen made the quickest run of her career at the Gatornationals but the team has yet to completely tap into the full potential of their new Suzuki. But with their continued progression and positive attitude it will only be a matter of time before Cohen starts qualifying consistently.

“We continue to work 7 days a week on improving the performance of the CMKXtreme Pro Sock Bike,” said Cohen, “and there’s a lot left in the Suzuki. As long as we continue to improve at each race we fell confident that we will be qualifying on a regular basis very soon.”

We’re looking forward to going to Atlanta and spending time with the wonderful CMKX shareholders and fans,” Cohen added. “Hopefully we’ll be able to give them something exciting to cheer about this weekend."

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